Today I decided to move a folding table and chair into the space in front of a large window in the kitchen; the view was inspiring.  The edging of colored brick was created a year ago to honor the diversity of people I know now, and those who have passed from this life.

Our Blue Bottles Writing Studio gathering in the upstairs room of Village Books was great. We had great stories to share about our childhood holidays. 

S. A-R

A moonlight dinner

The moon shone in the sky, a perfect setting to calm down half a dozen lively children. My aunt, the youngest of the three sisters, might be below age 30. She would lug a pot of cool water upstairs and bring a large serving plate, rice, lentil powder, and yogurt. The fun part is when we all sit in front of her in a semicircle. She mixes the food and feeds us. The first course is with lentil powder. Roasted lentils and red chilies are ground into a coarse powder with salt added. This spicy but mildly hot powder for the kids is mixed with rice and ghee (clarified butter) to facilitate digestion. She would mix the rice into egg-shaped balls and put them in each kid’s mouth. They can’t wait to get their turn. To keep them patiently engaged, she would tell stories. Then comes the next course of yogurt and rice. This is necessary to cool down the stomach after the spicy, tasty first course. 

A. S.

The 4th of July

A special North Carolina hot summer night – The Fourth of July! Everyone’s in festive shirts, bellies full of hot dogs and hamburgers, and we’re ready to see the show. Dad lights sparklers for the kiddos to trace their names in the air and hands out pop rocks to throw at each others’ feet. Then he made everyone stand back while he set off the BIG GUYS, which only went a few feet in the air due to maintaining safety standards (unlike other neighbors in town who inevitably set fire to their roofs!!). Bright colors danced as the flames hissed, popped, and wooshed with exciting heat, sometimes forming shapes in the air. SO COOL! It was also funny to see the ones that were duds – Dad would make a big show of the fireworks and jump back with exaggerated fear as the strand was lit, only to have it pop and sputter with exactly zero interesting things happening. The 4th of July was always a great time to spend as kids in the South!

E. J. P.

A memory of perfection

Anne loved to sew, and every summer  I was in Trinidad, she made me a couple of pretty dresses. That year Anne made me my first grown-up dress. It was an olive green, paisley, silky shirt waister with a gold, twisted cord belt. I flew home on the LIAT (Leeward Islands Air Transport). I wore my new dress and white sandals. I felt like a movie star walking down the gangway to the tarmac.

I did not run to meet Mummy, even though I was very excited to see her, but moved slowly, like a lady, with the rest of the passengers.  

G. E

Holidays

Independence Day, July 4th, was a special day for me. New Milford, New Jersey, hosted a July 4th parade every year, and all the sports teams marched in it. Since I played Little League baseball and then Babe Ruth baseball, I marched in the New Milford parade at least half a dozen times.
The baseball uniforms we wore were made from wool. If you have ever worn a woolen uniform and spent a few hours in the sun (in July), you know how hot it is. Really hot! I recall marching in my Little League uniform, the length of the parade route, and almost fainting at the end. The best part was after the parade, you could go to the VFW building for a free hot dog and ice-cold orange soda. To be honest, I was so hot and hungry after marching in the parade. I wolfed down two or three hot dogs and probably that many orange sodas. Boy did they taste good!